Dominions 3, in Computer Games Magazine: Most...

RibbonBlue · #1 January 1st, 2006, 07:00 PM

I my computer games magazine arrived today. I start reading it and get to the section of Most Anticipated Games of 2006. I read a bit and come to the list. The third on the list(in no particuler order) is Dominions3!!!

WOOT

What Computer Games magazine wrote:

(Picture of two armies facing off, I can't tell what the units are, theres a big lightning bolt which looks mad cool striking the army on the left side"

Dominions III
Developer Illwinter Design
Publisher Shrapnel Games Release Date Spring

Why?
A niche product whos predecessor, Dominons II got great accolades from hard-core turn-based strategy fans.

1500+ units 600+ spells 300+ mmagic items 50 different playable sides.

New music from Erik Ask Uppmark and Anna rynefors, who did the great Dominions II music, and who have been awarded "Musicians of the Realm" by the swedish Zornmarkeskommite.(Er, not sure what or who that is...)

Turn andy image into a map. Battle over the bridge of the starship Enterprise or Jenna Jameson. Endless possibilities.

Much more extensive mod support than its predecessors

Enhanced UI, and more transparaent game mechanics to help n00bs.

Why not?

Can the old-school, hard core turn-based fantasy strategy game withstand another round before succumbing to antiquity.

And thats the end!

Also on the list, Battle for Middile Earth 2, Dungeons and Dragons online and many other games!!!

Endoperez · #2 January 2nd, 2006, 01:42 AM

Thanks for sharing this with us! Now, I just have to get it somehow! This is just so COOL!

Saber Cherry · #3 January 2nd, 2006, 01:52 AM

Awesome news! I checked it out, and they gave Dominons II a 90%. That's great exposure, especially considering CGO/CGM is a mainstream magazine and 2006 is shaping up to be an epic year for games; maybe the best since 1997.

But hooking 100,000 readers does nothing if there is no website to reel them in... *cough, cough*...

...Well, really that's my self-interest talking, but it sounds convincing, right?

isodea · #4 January 2nd, 2006, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Saber Cherry said:But hooking 100,000 readers does nothing if there is no website to reel them in... *cough, cough*...

...Well, really that's my self-interest talking, but it sounds convincing, right?

I'm convinced. I've been playing strategy games for years and I only just heard of Dominions a few days ago [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/Cold.gif[/img]

Saber Cherry · #5 January 2nd, 2006, 04:28 AM

No need to take our words for it, when there's a really nice demo!

The Dominions II demo is more complete than almost any other game demo. 40 turns (most games last 30 - 80), a level 4 of 9 magic research cap, and not all nations are playable... but otherwise, it's essentially the whole game (not patched to the lastest version, though).

The developers have been very quiet, but aside from massively more stuff, a substantially better interface, many game mechanical changes and additional features, I do not expect Dominions III to be substantially different. Dominions I -> II was more like Warcraft I -> II, or Zelda I -> III, or Metroid -> Super Metroid than, say, Master of Orion I -> II or Zelda III -> 64 or Super Metroid -> Metroid 64... in other words, the fundamentals will not change, just everything will be massively better

My speculation, of course.

...and... welcome aboard!

isodea · #6 January 2nd, 2006, 04:56 AM

Yes, I played the demo, enjoyed it very much!
Though initially it was a bit overwhelming and unruly.
Played some more today and feel like I'm getting a handle on the basics. Actually about all I've done the last two days is play the demo lol. Very impressed with the deep yet fun gameplay.

I think your right about Dom3. I don't think a whole lot needs to be changed! Ofcourse I haven't even scratched the surface of this demo!

Thanks for the welcome. Thrilled to find a great strategy game. Feels like it's been ages since the last one lol.

Beorne · #7 January 5th, 2006, 05:52 AM

I think instead that having anticipated so much time in advance the upcoming of DomIII has generated only frustation.
The developers should have keep a developers diaty to keep the afictionados close.
Some months ago the forum had about five times (if not ten) daily posts, a lot of the historical members are now gone and so on. And the DomII support is gone too (a handful of very important bugs have not been patched, and some of them are already corrected in dev version)
It has been a terrible marketing move.
Two choiches: you anticipate, and tell us the advances (this can be very easy, some screenshots every now and then would be enough) AND tell a date, or you stay quiet and continue support the old version.
By now Dom2 community is starving.
And if a poor affected playeer makes a post with the legitimate "some news?" question some come to answer "dont' make hurry to the devs! I enjoy a lot waiting! I know this will mean a better game!". Hmpf. This can be right for a free game (i.e.Nethack), NOT for a commercial game.
I thank the devs for this wonderful game, but I think they made a very bad move with DomIII anticipation in conjunction with their absebce fron the forums in these last times.
Sorry for my bad english, my two cents.

isodea · #8 January 5th, 2006, 06:27 AM

Good point Beorne. It's funny but I notice most devs that are really good at making games are really bad at marketing and community interaction and vice versa.
I'll take the kind that make good games over the other kind 9 times out of 10 though.

johan osterman · #9 January 5th, 2006, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Beorne said:
I think instead that having anticipated so much time in advance the upcoming of DomIII has generated only frustation.
The developers should have keep a developers diaty to keep the afictionados close.
Some months ago the forum had about five times (if not ten) daily posts, a lot of the historical members are now gone and so on. And the DomII support is gone too (a handful of very important bugs have not been patched, and some of them are already corrected in dev version)
It has been a terrible marketing move.
Two choiches: you anticipate, and tell us the advances (this can be very easy, some screenshots every now and then would be enough) AND tell a date, or you stay quiet and continue support the old version.
By now Dom2 community is starving.
And if a poor affected playeer makes a post with the legitimate "some news?" question some come to answer "dont' make hurry to the devs! I enjoy a lot waiting! I know this will mean a better game!". Hmpf. This can be right for a free game (i.e.Nethack), NOT for a commercial game.
I thank the devs for this wonderful game, but I think they made a very bad move with DomIII anticipation in conjunction with their absebce fron the forums in these last times.
Sorry for my bad english, my two cents.

If you do a search on Kristoffer you will find that he as posted about 25 times in the last three and a half months or so, not sure what your standards are here but I believe that that is still a reasonable amount of interaction compared to most developers. As for diaries etc. all the usual stuff with JK and KO having real bread winning jobs still applies. Ideally they should also perform round the globe marketing tours with elephants and dancing midgets to hype dom3, unfortunately that is not going to happen either.

Kristoffer O · #10 January 5th, 2006, 07:07 AM

> I thank the devs for this wonderful game, but I think they made a very bad move with DomIII anticipation in conjunction with their absebce fron the forums in these last times.
Sorry for my bad english, my two cents.

The anticipation business is not our business. Shrapnel are the marketing guys and magazines write what and when they like to (mostly).

I do agree that i should have written more dev diaries, but I have been somewhat preoccupied with my regular job the last couple of months. Spare time has not been directed to the fan base. My public contacts have mostly been in the developer forum.